英国国家量子技术展示会于11月7日在伦敦举行，首次吸引了来自澳大利亚、丹麦和韩国的外国展位。英国与美国、日本以及欧洲联盟960亿欧元（约合1,110亿美元）的地平线研究项目的合作被高度赞扬。麦肯锡预计，到2035年，量子计算将在汽车、化工、金融及生命科学等行业创造6,200亿至1.3万亿美元的价值。全球专注于量子技术的513家公司中，英国有64家，仅次于美国的148家，位居第二。

英国量子科技生态具竞争力，不像人工智能那样需要巨额支出才能保持竞争力。英国拥有丰富的人才、宽松的监管环境和积极的投资者，使其成为企业的“黏性”变高。尽管英国初创企业吸引的风险投资资金量排名全球第二，但与美国相差甚远。英国企业仍面临被早期并购的问题，例如美国的IonQ公司以11亿美元收购了英国牛津Ionics。政府通过2021年《国家安全投资法》加强了对敏感领域的监管，确保牛津Ionics的关键资产留在国内。

然而，英国仍存在短板：如激光、光子学等关键设备供应商数量有限，对超低温冰箱等核心设备依赖进口，且本土量子芯片封装能力薄弱。此外，英国最大量子硬件研发经费仅为澳大利亚和法国的十分之一。考虑到量子计算机或将在2030年代破解现有加密，英国公私部门需加快部署后量子加密。国际合作、开放性和专注力将成为英国在“下一个工业革命”中取得成功的关键因素。

The UK National Quantum Technologies Showcase on November 7th featured, for the first time, foreign exhibitors from Australia, Denmark, and South Korea. Partnerships with America, Japan, and the EU’s €96bn ($111bn) Horizon research programme were praised. McKinsey estimates that quantum computing could generate between $620bn and $1.3trn of value across automotive, chemicals, finance, and life sciences by 2035. Of the world’s 513 quantum-focused companies, 64 are British—second only to America’s 148.

The UK’s quantum technology ecosystem is competitive and, unlike in AI, does not require vast spending to remain so. The country benefits from abundant talent, supportive regulation, and eager investors, making it an increasingly attractive environment for firms. While British startups attract the second-highest amount of venture funding globally, they lag far behind the US. Early exits remain an issue—e.g., US-based IonQ purchased British rival Oxford Ionics for $1.1bn. The government is taking a more active role, using the 2021 National Security Investment Act to ensure key assets remain in the UK.

However, significant gaps remain: there are too few domestic suppliers for crucial components like lasers and photonics, reliance on foreign ultra-cold refrigerators, and limited domestic packaging capacity for quantum chips. Moreover, the UK’s largest quantum hardware grants are about one-tenth the size of those in Australia and France. With quantum machines potentially cracking today’s cryptography by the 2030s, both public and private sectors must accelerate post-quantum encryption efforts. International cooperation, openness, and focus will be crucial as Britain seeks to lead the “next industrial revolution.”